Category Archives: Fantasy from the Rock

Sam Bauer, one author in Sci-Fi from the Rock and Fantasy from the Rock, is set to appear at the Irish Loop Book Market on October 7, 2017.

The event will take place at the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre from 11am-5pm. The market will be your opportunity to pick up the latest and greatest literary works by Newfoundland’s best and brightest authors, who will be on hand.

Sam Bauer is a young writer from St. John’s Newfoundland. He gets his ideas from eating too much sugar-laden food, reading the works of H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe until 4 am, and transcribing the ensuing nightmares. Most, however, are unusable as they are frightening only to those who share his phobia of squirrels, spoons and the number 73. In his spare time, Sam enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, playing in the Music Collection Drumline and pillaging small villages with his band of fellow gentle, but misunderstood, Visigoths.

Sam’s first story, The Lockett, was met with widespread acclaim from the independent literature community. In the year since he has read it at venues across the country, begun working with an award-winning Newfoundland author as a consultant, and is currently working on his first novel.

Stacey Oakley, author of Hunter’s Soul, is set to appear at the Irish Loop Book Market on October 7, 2017.

The event will take place at the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre from 11am-5pm. The market will be your opportunity to pick up the latest and greatest literary works by Newfoundland’s best and brightest authors, who will be on hand.

Stacey Oakley is an avid reader and writer, especially of fantasy. She has a BA in Art History & Visual Studies with a minor in Social Justice Studies from the University of Victoria and is currently in the process of completing a post-grad diploma in Cultural Resource management by distance, also from Uvic. While originally from Moncton, New Brunswick she’s lived on both sides of the country having spent a number of years in BC and only recently moved to Newfoundland.

At one of the panels for Avalon Expo, someone asked “How do you know when to end a story?”

I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I’ve had time to think about it and I thought I’d share some of my current musings. This is especially relevant since the big project I’m working on has spun so far out of control that I have no idea how it’s going to end… Or if…

Honestly, this advice is for me as much as you.

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So, how do I know when to end a story?

Short answer: Mostly intuition.

Long answer: There are a few ways…

I’ve written the ending first.

Usually I know the end before I even start writing. Most of my short stories start out with that final moment, and then I just have to figure out what happens to bring me to that point. It happened with The Gemini Project; The Invisible Boy;and the two horror stories I’m currently working on.

There were a few times where, when I got to the end of a longer story, I realized that the original idea no longer fit and it was going towards a new ending. But that’s not a bad thing – stories change, it happens. Sometimes you plan on killing all of your characters but a few of them end up surviving somehow. But then you write the final line (for the new ending) and you think to yourself “Yeah, that’s a fantastic ending line”. And all is right with the world again.

I’ve written a really good end-line.

I love a good ending line as much as I love a good opening line. In fact, if I write a so-so ending line it bothers me to no end, because I know it can be better. It’s like looking at a row of pencils that aren’t quite perfectly in line….

Some examples are: Virginia Wolfe’s To the Lighthouse: “Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.” And George Orwell’s 1984: “He loved Big Brother.” There’s something about those lines that are so final and yet mean so much more.

The story I wanted to tell is over.

Once I wanted a project to have 25 chapters (for symbolic purposes), but when I reached the end of chapter 22 I realized that I was done. My character’s journey had ended. I’d said all I wanted to say about this particular story, and to write any more would do a disservice to the fantastic ending scene I’d just written. Yes, I wanted to continue with these characters, but I knew that it would be best to start a new plot, with new themes and ideas, instead of dragging this one out.

The Hobbit ends when Bilbo returns home; The Fellowship of the Rings ends with the breaking of the fellowship; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ends when Harry’s school term ends. Even though their stories continue, their current task has ended and it’s time to take a breather before the next adventure.

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Typically, when I plan my ending, I try to resolve matters – either for better or worse. I don’t like leaving huge plot holes or dangling plot threads. It’s fun to have hints and intrigue and something to look forward to, but I’m not happy when the ending to a book is more like the ending to a chapter (yes, there’s a difference – As Fierce As Steel left me wanting more, while Mindspeak made me regret the time I’d spent reading it).

When in doubt, I think of who’s journey this is. Then I try to find a way to bring them to the end point – to let the character finally achieve their goal, or fail horribly, or realize that they need to change their way of thinking.

Originally, I had no idea how to end The Six Elemental. I tried to resolve what I could, while leaving certain things unsaid, but the end just didn’t feel end-y enough. Finally I thought about Kit’s journey and how she had changed over the course of the story. I thought about what I was trying to say with this story and made that the ending, so when people close the book that’s the impression they’re left with.

The next Writer’s Block course we’d like to announce as happening during Avalon Expo is ‘Female Characters in Sci-fi and Fantasy,’ which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday August 26th from 1-1:50PM.

This panel will be essential to anyone looking to make sure they craft strong, reliable, and realistically-portrayed female characters into their genre fiction, a must in today’s market! It can be daunting — for writers of any gender — to get this delicate balance correct, partially because many of the traditions of genre writing are rooted in gender-norms that aren’t always reflective of today’s societies. How does one navigate the challenges of writing for today while respecting the greats that paved the way before you? The author-editor team behind As Fierce as Steel Christopher Walsh (the Gold & Steel Saga) and Erin Vance (editor of the From the Rock series) will help guide you through this path as an author… with a third special guest panelist yet-to-be-announced! Continue reading Female Characters in Sci-fi and Fantasy | The Writer’s Block→

The first Writer’s Block course we’d like to announce as happening during Avalon Expo is Fairies, Mermaids, Vampires, and Zombies, OH MY!, which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday August 26th from 4-4:50PM!

This panel will be a fun and informative look at the staples of genre fiction — tried and true literary trends like fairies, mermaids, vampire, and zombies, some of whom have been with us since the oral tradition of storytelling. This panel discussion, aimed at authors, interested parties, and fans of genre stories, will be headed by an all-star cast of authors who have taken these pillars of fantasy and horror and used them in fun, exciting, and innovative ways! The panel will include: Ellen Curtis (editor of Fantasy from the Rock and author of the Infinity series), Charles O’Keefe (the spellbinding author of The Newfoundland Vampire and its sequels), Paul Carberry (author of the Zombies on the Rock series), and Amanda Labonté (author of the mermaid-inspired Call of the Sea series and the Vampire-Werewolf medical drama Supernatural Causes). Continue reading Fairies, Mermaids, Vampires, and Zombies, OH MY! | The Writer’s Block→

“Fantasy from the Rock” is a collection of short stories from authors who love telling folklores about humans, fairies, trolls, dwarves, elves, witches, and fortunetellers. There are a few stories that don’t quite fit, nevertheless; due to their strangeness, they still fall into this fantasy genre. What they all have in common, however, is their entertainment value. The authors are experienced writers and storytellers and obviously, they love their craft. Many of the stories reveal moral lessons, which folklores of ancient time had often taught us. Like human beings, magical creatures have their negative and positive sides. They’re flawed just like us human beings. Those who allow evil and negative spiritual forces to dominate them threaten other beings as well as the environment in which they live and share with others. My favorite stories are the ones with moral lessons. Thankfully, many are teeming with them. Continue reading Fantasy from the Rock Review by Sambath Meas!→

If you’re one of the many people who picked up Fantasy from the Rock last month, you may have made your way through a few of the amazing and engaging stories within by now, including In Defense of Our Home and The City that Hid from Time Itself. If so, you’ve been introduced to the world of political intrigue and fantasy that is the Gold and Steel Saga by Christopher Walsh, and you’re likely wanting more of the world of Illiastra… so what’s next in the series?

Thankfully we have Christopher Walsh on speed-dial, so he can clarify the timeline of the ever-expanding Gold and Steel series anytime we want!

Dates are presented in the Triarchy system that most of Illiastra goes by. Triarchy is a 2000 year calendar that states after the two thousand years, the three gods will destroy the world in all-out warfare. This system is represented as [date] I.R.

As Fierce as Steel is the inaugural entry into the world of Gold & Steel, a new fantasy series from Canadian author, Christopher Walsh. It is centered around the lives of two women, those of the Lady Orangecloak and Lady Marigold Tullivan. One is the leader of a brave group of young men and women in open rebellion of their government. The other was born into that patriarchal world and destined for greatness, as a trophy wife, a fate she will do anything to alter.

The Pitch: Nineteen short stories written by an eclectic mix of some of the best science-fiction and fantasy authors in Atlantic Canada, some of them award-winning veterans and some of them new to the craft for the first time. Edited by Erin Vance and veteran science-fiction author Ellen Louise Curtis, this collection features the heartfelt, creatively charged, astonishing fiction that showcases the talent and charm Atlantic Canada has to offer. Featuring the work of Kenneth Tam, Scott Bartlett, Jay Paulin, Alison House, & many more!

1462 I.R. – The City That Hid From Time Itself (Fantasy from the Rock)
950 I.R. – In Defence of Our Home (Fantasy from the Rock)